Maritime Museum
If the history of Macau is really connected to the sea, there is, indeed, no better place for the Maritime Museum, than the Square of the Barra Pagoda, dedicated to the Taoist goddess "A-MA", the protector of the fishermen, and also believed as the place where the Portuguese landed for the first time. The place was called "A MA GAO" at the time (the harbour of A-MA) - hence the name of Macau. This is precisely the spot where the Maritime Museum is located and its building has the stylised form of a sailing ship anchored in the waters of the Inner Harbour.
On the ground floor the visitor can find the traditions and the way of life of the fishermen in Macau and South China: there are several types of ships, instruments and ways of fishing, different varieties of fish and shellfish living in these waters and even a copy of the house of a fisherman, where the whole family can be seen sharing the tasks which precede or follow the fishing activities.The visitor should note the "Little A-Ma Theatre" which cheerfully tells the legend of this Goddess in Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
On the Mezzanine: the visitor will find a very interesting group of 14 copies of Portuguese traditional ships, including notes on their origins and functions, together with beautiful models of the ships: the Sagres and the Crioula.
The first floor is exclusively dedicated to the Great Discovery Trips, specially emphasising the Maritime History of China and Portugal, since it was the sea which brought these two civilisations together. The trips of Admiral Cheng Ho are interactively shown. During the Ming dynasty (15th century) Cheng Ho recognised India and Arabia from the sea and reached the Eastern coast of Africa. The routes of the Portuguese Discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries are also presented, together with samples of the products traded at that period: tea, spices, porcelain, silk.
One of the sectors exhibits technical navigation instruments, including those used by the Portuguese (cross-staff, dial and astrolabe) and those invented by the Chinese (compass, balanced ship's wheel and side bulkheads).
Following this space, the second floor is dedicated to martime Technology and Transport and it illustrates the way Macau has recently been connected to the sea. Several traditional tools can be observed side by side with models of the latest ships, as for example the jetfoils that nowadays link Macau to Hong Kong. Special attention should be given to the monitor that enables the visitor to know details of the Macau weather, particularly during the typhoon season when the evolution of these phenomena can be observed.
On the way out the visitor will cross a gallery of aquariums allowing him to observe a riverbed, harbour waters, a coral reef and last of all the seabed harbouring the remains of a ship drowned long ago.
Outside of the museum the visitor will find several real size pieces, among which a dragon-boat similar to those used during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (sales of tickets will close at 5:30 p.m., Closed on Tuesdays.)
Remarks: The Museum includes a nice esplanade by the river with a bar, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Closed on Tuesdays). On the ground floor of the Museum there is a shop selling different souvenirs and printed editions about the city of Macau, maps, etc.